Erie votes to annex 632 acres for Summerfield development

Erie's elected leaders Tuesday night approved the annexation of a 632-acre parcel in unincorporated Weld County that is planned to become the site of the 2,152-home Summerfield community.

The project, which represents one of Erie's largest planned residential communities, nearly died an early death last year after Community Development Group pulled the plug on Summerfield. But the town and developer managed to revive the project a few weeks later.

Summerfield is proposed for the southwest corner of Colo. 52 and County Road 7, and proponents claim it would allow the town to fund critical infrastructure improvements east to Interstate 25, where Erie has long-term commercial development plans that will provide a more lucrative tax base for the town. Building permit fees alone from the project could put up to $86 million into Erie's coffers.

Any site plan would need to be approved by the town before construction could begin, but the trustees did approve a planned development zoning designation for the parcel.